Distortion pedals that don't suck?

[Jay Kahrs]

Are there really any out there? Something that you can put in front of a super clean amp like a Twin and it doesn't sound like a beer commercial, a Fuzz Face, or some horrible metal thing or just plain shitty? The only pedal I have that's decent is a Tech 21 XXL. Everything else sounds like one of the above which I guess is ok, but I'd rather have it sound like an amps distortion.

[Mike Tholen]

a beer commercial? what beer commercial would you be referencing?

I use a Fulltone-Fulldrive and a Lovetone-Brown Source...but no beer.

[heinz]

ibanez ts-9?

[Steve Smith]

I second the fulltone, the Radial Tonebone is also cool, the mesa pedal is cool, the reverend pedal is cool..... there are a bunch that I see come through here, one size does not fit all it seems...

[Meriphew]

If you're looking for a Tubescreamer type pedal, pick up an MJM Blues Devil - they're the best in the game right now.

[Anonymatt]

I heard a fella using a Sparkle Drive into a Twin once. Bomb!

[jajjguy]

If you want it to sound like the amp would if it were driven harder, i recommend the Klon Centaur.

I also like the XXL. I've sometimes liked a Rat on moderate settings too.

[toledo3]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
Are there really any out there? Something that you can put in front of a super clean amp like a Twin and it doesn't sound like a beer commercial, a Fuzz Face, or some horrible metal thing or just plain shitty? The only pedal I have that's decent is a Tech 21 XXL. Everything else sounds like one of the above which I guess is ok, but I'd rather have it sound like an amps distortion.

Ok. I play out of a blackface twin and a super...

My take is that some of the most natural tones come from the old "treble booster" style pedals like E.C used, among others. Dunlop also makes that one knob gain pedal that is VERY good for what you are looking for. Dunlop also used to make a wah with something like a 25db clean gain boost, to overdrive the input stage of amps like the twin. Worked well.

The mesa v-twin pedal is pretty good for this kind of thing too. Tubescreamers can get iffy, but if you use very moderate settings-the distortion on the most minimal settings, it can be cool.

You will NEVER have it sound like an amps distortion though. Even powerbraking it will make it sound different- less bass, mushier tone. You can try taking out the two powertubes on the outside, or the two in the middle. That will drop down the wattage, but it really doesn't cut THAT much volume.

I would venture to say that you may want to swap out with some low wattage speakers for the recording, and go with "speaker" distortion.

Or, use a different amp.

[Jules]

My Hot Cake pedal gets a lot of compliments from guitarists that know their stuff. Only reason I bought it was because of top marks via online research i did. (I had NO pedals and figured if I was to get one, I might as well get a great one)

It's supposed to be a sort of Tube Screamer 'deluxe'....


http://www.harmony-central.com/Effec...otcake-01.html

[jpaudio]

Soldano GTO tube preamp pedal, kicks ass in front of just about anything, and not just an overdrive or fuzz, more like high gain. Aside from that, i never heard a high-gain distortion that didn't sound like garbage. TS9s (and variations), Big Muffs, Fulldrives, MXRs, Rats, etc. all sound good in different ways, but none would i consider a high gain type of sound.

[jpaudio]

Originally posted by toledo3
The mesa v-twin pedal is pretty good for this kind of thing too.

I had one of those for a while and thought it sounded like ass compared to the a real Mesa...

[toledo3]

Originally posted by jpaudio
I had one of those for a while and thought it sounded like ass compared to the a real Mesa...

My memory maybe tarnished. That is the only pedal out of the ones I listed that I do not own. But I remember it sounding pretty good on moderate settings. From memory, it seemed to lack bass as you cranked up the gain.

And somebody just mentioned the big muff and ratt as NOT being high gain pedals? Must have been a typo.

[toledo3]

I bet that soldano unit DOES kick ass. He really knows his shit.

[Jay Kahrs]

I dunno, the Rat has too much gain for the kind of stuff I do or maybe just enough but I would never need any more then that. The problem with some of the stuff out there like the Boss OD and Tube Screamers is that they don't really seem to fully saturate the sound. There's still this clean transient under the distortion. But, pop one on in front of an already overdriven amp and it's great.

I have a Sansamp GT2 which really kinda sucks. No mids and there's some kind of weird phase thing going on, plus there's too much bottom on it and if it's rolled off the high notes sound ok but it's too thin. I've played around with a V-Twin for a bit and was never quite blown away with it. Plus, I have a Dual Rectumfryer already so I don't need that sound from a pedal.

This is more about me slimming down my guitar rig rather then recording. If I can find the right stuff I'll probably sell off some amps, free up some space and get some cash.

[Steve Smith]

Originally posted by jpaudio
I had one of those for a while and thought it sounded like ass compared to the a real Mesa...

It does not really sound l100% like a Mesa, but it does sound cool nonetheless.

[toledo3]

Well, Jay, the sound of the v-twin pedal into a twin, is not going to sound like a rectifier.

Try bridging the inputs like you can on a Marshall head. Somebody commented to me that you can fo that on blackfaces, but I have never tried it. You know, into normal channel one, then put a cable in normal channel two, going into vibrato channel one. Or vice versa.

[Meriphew]

Originally posted by Jules
My Hot Cake pedal gets a lot of compliments from guitarists that know their stuff. Only reason I bought it was because of top marks via online research i did. (I had NO pedals and figured if I was to get one, I might as well get a great one)

It's supposed to be a sort of Tube Screamer 'deluxe'....


http://www.harmony-central.com/Effec...otcake-01.html

Hotcakes work well with class A amps.

[stuntmixer]

My rig distrortion/overdrive section has:

TS-9 modded by local tech for "creamier" tone

old Marshall Guv'nor (luv this unpredictable beast)

Klon Centaur

(sometimes Fullton Bass Fulldrive)

[Steve]

The Barber Burn Unit (barberelectronics.com) is an amazing pedal. It has 2 channels and a dynamics control. As you rotate the dynamics control clockwise you go from Boogie MK2C+ , to Fender Tweed, to Vox, to Marshall Plexi with the dynamics control maxed. The Burn Unit is very clean even with complex chords. It also has an internal bass level control if you want to sound more chunky. Really one of the best pedal out there. The Fulltone and Tonebone are also great maybe not as colored though and color is what you want when you are playing with overdrive through a Fender Twin.

[zenfreud]

I dug the Blackstone Appliance pedal on BF Fender amps. Nice, believeable chunky (not metal) tones. And at low volumes, too. That said, I got rid of it because the pots are not readily accessible for changes on the fly. I'll probably get another one.

Current fave for slight overdrive on my BF Vibrolux is the Menatone TBIAC (Top Boost in a Can) pedal. BF Fenders have a pronounced dip in the mids, the mid-emphasis of the TBIAC pedal seems to compliment BF Fenders pretty well for clean to medium grind. I don't care for its tone when it gets beyond a medium crunch.

The Hotcake can do either a clean boost and fuzz, have not been able to dial in a satisfying medium gain overdrive. Much less of a mid-hump than a TS9, much brighter overall. Still trying to see how it fits in with my Fender. I got it for my AC30, like it, but still looking for something different.

[fatty]

a good overdrive pedal for cheap is the nobels overdrive. i think its the od1. basically a tubescreamer copy but imo much better and more versatile than a tubescreamer (its a similar green colour). sounds good in front of a cleanish amp. the controls are overdrive, "spectrum" (tone), and level. they also make a red overdive pedal that has a three band eq in place of the "spectrum" on the green pedal, but i beleive is the same circuit otherwise.
actually i kinda wish i had sprung the extra money for the red one.
anyway the nobels pedals are cheap and cheerful.

[Nutmeg II.]

2'nd old Marshall Guv'nor and old Marshall Shredmaster both have a nice dirt factor build in.

Marshall Jack Hammer (you could get quite some variations out of this pedal).

[fatty]

mxr distortion+.
yes i have one. its a good unit. however it does not have a true bypass switch. it does something weird to the tone when in bypass.
i prefer the nobels in front of a clean amp for overdrive.
the mxr works best in front of a dirty amp, great lead tone.

[davemc]

I used to run a V-twin into a silverface bandmaster and liked teh sound.
I have a TS9(808 mode) which is cool.
The matchless hotbox is cool as well.
I have not heard the soldano pre, I have a reverb'o'sonic combo which I love to buts though. He knows something about tone.thumbsup

[Drumsound]

The Maxon 808 is very cool. It's the real original Tube Screamer. I believe Maxon OEMed it for Ibeenhad. Pair with a compressor pedal and is creamy distortion and sustain for days.

[Neddy Seagoon]

My current live rig includes a ZVex SHO for a very nice straight boost, Black Cat OD-1 for a thicker 'hi gain' boost and a Homebrewed Electronics Power Screamer - very nice TS-9 on steroids but way more flexible. For whacked out fuzz I use a Prescription Electronics Face Lift, basically a Fuzz Face with Octavia built in. Very unpredictable and not much gain but killer on certain things - The Electric Prunes 'Too much to dream' springs to mind.

I like all of those pedals for different applications, though the SHO stays on all the time.

I can also recommmend the Blackstone Appliance unit, sounds great though I too quit using it because it was too hard to tweek.

The MXR Distortion I find to be a little bright (read 'ice pick in the eardrum') for my taste. My unit still has the unfortunate habit of cutting out when you hit the switch despite having the switch replaced. Embarrased me one too many times to use it live anymore.

[Saucyjack]

Depends what you are after.
The Fulltone fulldrive is pretty cool...the flat mids version is kinda like a Hi-fi Tube screamer.Well built and quiet it's more for Overdrive than full on saturation..seems to work really well with Fender amps.
The Hotcake is great...can go from clean boost to fairly saturated...To my ears works better in front of El 84 amps...just "ok" with Fenders.
Another option may be some of the Boutique Fuzz pedals..London Fuzz,Nine volt Nirvana Brontoboost,Mcfuzz,etc.These all have plenty of fuzz on tap but clean up nicely by backing off Gtr volume knob.

[writethis]

My current faves:

Transparent boost/light overdrive- Menatone Red Snapper

Marshally crunch up to Dumble overdrive - Barber Direct Drive

Versatile germanium/silicon hybrid fuzz that can also sound more like a fuzz into a Marshall (even through a Fender Vibro Champ) - Nine Volt Nirvana Dinosaur Fuzz


All three of these are hand made by guys with good ears and killer quality control. All feel and sound more like an amp than most stomp boxes I've owned or auditioned. All can be found used for less than $150; the Barber is only around $100 new.

Good luck!

[Gone Fission]

Originally posted by toledo3
Try bridging the inputs like you can on a Marshall head. Somebody commented to me that you can fo that on blackfaces, but I have never tried it. You know, into normal channel one, then put a cable in normal channel two, going into vibrato channel one. Or vice versa.

This typically doesn't work on Fender amps with reverb on one channel. The standard topologies will have an extra inverting gain stage on the reverb channel, so bridging will yield phase cancellaltion. If you feed both channels through the reverb (a useful and easy mod), the bridging trick will work.

Bear

[toledo3]

Originally posted by Gone Fission
This typically doesn't work on Fender amps with reverb on one channel. The standard topologies will have an extra inverting gain stage on the reverb channel, so bridging will yield phase cancellaltion. If you feed both channels through the reverb (a useful and easy mod), the bridging trick will work.

Bear

Ah, cool.

But, if I went from a super reverb, to a twin, could I get bridging? I will try it out.